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Lunsford leads the way as Loggers paste Paisley by Tim Trower BUTTE FALLS - As ill as Tommy Lunsford felt midway through the fourth quarter, it was nothing compared to the way he made Paisley feel. One minute, the Butte Falls running back was kneeling on the sideline and vomiting, the result of unfathomable exertion coupled with a touch of the flu. The next minute, he was varooming past Paisley defenders and leading the Loggers to a 44-36 Skyline A League victory Friday in their most meaningful game in eight years. The win establishes Butte Falls as the league's likely No. 2 representative to the state playoffs, providing it doesn't stumble in its final two outings against North Lake and Prospect. The Loggers (5-1, 4-1 Sky A) haven't advanced to state since 1993. Further magnifying the importance of Friday's win is the realization that this is coach Jack Brown's final season, one that has him undergoing treatment for pancreatic cancer most days of the week, then working the sideline. "It's a big win," nodded Brown. "It's probably the most emotional and excited that I've been in quite a while." Lunsford, who turned in a performance that challenges description, was at the root of the hullabaloo. With the Loggers' other two marquee players, quarterback Nick Rodgers and safety Isaac Stephenson, unavailable for all or most of the contest, Lunsford accepted the extra burden and carried the Loggers through. With the game in the balance and the physical toll against a rugged Paisley defense mounting, Lunsford - in the fourth quarter - rushed for 191 yards and three touchdowns. He scored on runs of 34, 36 and 43 yards in a seven-minute span. No wonder his insides felt like they were on a carnival ride. "I was a little sick coming into the game," said the 5-foot-10, 180-pound senior. After his score and conversion run with 6:57 remaining put Butte Falls up for good, 38-36, he went to the sideline and took a knee, uncertain he could continue. "At first I was pretty dizzy," he said. "It was pretty bad." After getting sick, he rested, drank water and waited. Paisley (4-2, 4-2 Sky A) turned the ball over on downs, and Lunsford trotted back out. With 31/2 minutes left, reserve quarterback Shannon Sizemore faked a dive, then pitched to Lunsford, who skirted right end for the game's final score. "Basically," Lunsford said, "it was getting upfield and putting my speed to the test. Plus, I got great blocking." He finished with 224 yards on 16 carries and scored five touchdowns, including one on an 85-yard kickoff return. He also caught three passes for 111 yards. "Some plays he broke," said Brown, "I thought he should have been stopped. Paisley doesn't tackle that badly." Rodgers had committed to an out-of-state, hunting-guide trip. Stephenson, who often plays quarterback as Rodgers moves to running back, aggravated a hamstring injury in the first quarter and didn't return. "We had to step it up," said Lunsford. "Without Nick in there, we knew we had to run the ball more." While Sizemore and Chris Copeland, who rushed for 105 yards on 13 carries, filled in admirably on offense, others did so on defense. Trevor Hersom was inserted at linebacker, and Kale Freeman came up big in the secondary. Dan Stark was called on at defensive end when regular John Slaton twisted an ankle. It was Freeman's interception at the Loggers' 25-yard line with a minute left that sealed the victory. On the play, end Tony Beals, who played well all afternoon, pressured quarterback Chaylon Shuffield. Until then, the game had more swings than a batting cage. Butte Falls scored twice in the final 31/2 minutes of the first half to take a 22-8 halftime lead. Brown, aware that the Broncos aren't short on talent, urged his players to treat the second half as if the game were starting over at 0-0. "It didn't work," he said. "We came out flat, and they were way up." Paisley scored on its first two possessions in dominant fashion to knot the game at 22-22. Shuffield scored on a 10-yard sneak, then hit Danny Wallace for a 40-yard score at 5:31 of the third. "They came out and played really good," said Lunsford. "Our defense messed up on pass coverage, but they're a good team. I tip my hat to them." Lunsford got the Loggers going again with his first touchdown of the fourth period, resulting in a 30-22 lead, then continued to lead the way. Paisley........................................................0 8 14 14 - 36 Butte Falls.................................................0 22 0 22 - 44 BF - Beals 12 run (run failed) P - Withers 35 run (Wallace pass from Shuffield) BF - Lunsford 85 kickoff return (Lunsford run) BF - Lunsford 2 run (Copeland run) P - Shuffield 10 run (Wallace pass from Shuffield) P - Wallace 40 pass from Shuffield (run failed) BF - Lunsford 34 run (Lunsford run) P - Wallace 81 kickoff return (Wallace pass from Shuffield) P - Wallace 41 interception return (pass failed) BF - Lunsford 36 run (Lunsford run) BF - Lunsford 43 run (run failed) Reach sports editor Tim Trower at 776-4479, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.